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Attributes List
Basic Attributes Every character has Attributes; they represent the basic potential of every person in the world, as well as most other living (and unliving) things. Most people have Attribute scores between 1 (poor) and 3 (good), though exceptionally gifted individuals may have scores of 4 (excellent) or even 5 (peak human capacity). Some vampire elders, those of strong blood, are rumored to have scores higher still. Shifters, especially in crinos form, can easily have physical attribute pools of 6-9. Specialties Some characters are especially good at particular applications of their Traits. For example, a painter might be particularly good at portraits, a baseball player might be adept at catching fly balls, and a brawler might be infamous for his low blows. To represent this, characters with scores of 4 or higher in Attributes or Abilities may choose specialties for those Traits. A specialty is a particular subcategory of an Attribute or Ability -- thus, a character with a Strength 5 might choose to be especially adept in "deadlifting," while a character with Investigation 4 might be a whiz at "ballistics." How Specialties Effect Dicing The following dice rules applies: Any attribute or ability of 4+ can have a specialization (a "spec) and with specs, dice of 10 count as 2 successes. It doesn't matter if its an attribute specialization, ability specialization or both apply- 10s count as 2 successes, but each 1 also rolled will cancel out the 10 and leave zero successes. Example: Victoria has Performance 4 with a specialty in singing love songs. She is performing in front of a live audience, and she begins her hit song "4Ever 1." Victoria's player rolsl Victoria's Charisma (4) + Performance (4) with her specs of captivating + singing applying to this roll. versus difficulty 6. She rolls 2,3,5,10,9,9,2,5. This counts as 4 successes rather than 3 because of the specialities. Physical Physical Attributes define how the condition of a character's body. They indicate how strong, agile and resilient a character is. Physical Attributes should be taken as the primary category for an action-oriented character. Vampires may use ingested blood to supernaturally augment their Physical (and only their Physical) Attributes. 'Strength' Strength is the raw, brute power of a character. It governs how much weight a character can lift, how much he can physically push and how hard he can hit another character or object. The Strength Trait is added to a character's damage dice pool when he hits hit opponent in hand-to-hand combat. It is also used when a character wishes to break, lift or carry something, as well as when a character tried to jump a distance. ● Poor: You can lift 40 pounds. ●● Average: You can lift 100 pounds. ●●● Good: You can lift 250 pounds. ●●●● Exceptional: You can lift 400 pounds. ●●●●● Outstanding: You can lift 650 pounds and crush skulls like grapes. Specialties: Iron Grip, Powerful Arms, Reserves of Strength, Fists Like Anvils, Steely Grip, Lower Body, Strength Reserves, Lifting, Long Jumping, Strong Grip, Sustained Carrying 'Dexterity' The Dexterity Attribute measures a character's general physical prowess. It encompasses the character's speed, agility and overall quickness, as well as indicating the character's ability to manipulate objects with control and precision. Also included under Dexterity's heading are hand-eye coordination, reflexes and bodily grace. ● Poor: You are clumsy and awkward. Put that gun down before you hurt yourself. ●● Average: You're no clod, but you're no ballerina, either. ●●● Good: You possess some degree of athletic potential. ●●●● Exceptional: You could be an acrobat if you wished. ●●●●● Outstanding: Your movements are liquid and hypnotic -- almost superhuman. Specialties: Lithe, Swift, Feline Grace, Sure-Footed, Lightning Reflexes, Preternatural Grace, Nimble Fingers, Catlike Reflexes, Fleet-Footed, Flexible, Light Touch, Steady Hand 'Stamina' The Stamina Trait reflects a character's health, toughness and resilience. It indicates how long a character can exert herself and how much punishment she can withstand before suffering physical trauma. Stamina also includes a bit of psychic fortitude, indicating a character's grit tenacity not to give up. ● Poor: You bruise in a stiff wind. ●● Average: You are moderately healthy and can take a punch or two. ●●● Good: You are in good shape and rarely fall ill. ●●●● Exceptional: You can run -- and perhaps win -- any marathon you choose. ●●●●● Outstanding: Your constitution is truly Herculean. '' '' Specialties: Tireless, Determined, Tough as Nails, Resolute, Unbreakable, Resilient, Enduring, High Pain Threshold, Tireless Social Social Attributes delineate a character's appearance, charm and ability to interact with society. These Traits are paramount to determining a character's first impressions, personal dynamics and relations with other individuals. 'Charisma' Charisma is a character's ability to entice and please others through her personality. Charisma comes into question when a character tries to win another character's sympathies or encourage others to trust her. Charisma does not indicate necessarily a silver tongue or a skill with bullying. Rather, it is the simple power of a character's charm and influence. Charisma delineates a character's ability at convincing others to see her point of view. ● Poor: Stop picking your nose. ●● Average: You are generally likeable and have several friends. ●●● Good: People trust you implicitly. ●●●● Exceptional: You have significant personal magnetism. ●●●●● Outstanding: Entire cultures could follow your lead. '' '' Specialties: Smooth Talker, Genteel, Urbane, Witty, Eloquent Speaker, Graceful,Air of Confidence, Captivating, Commanding Voice, Infectious Humor, Amusing, Confidant, Diplomatic, Eloquent, Persuasive, Trustworthy 'Manipulation' Manipulation measures a character's ability for self-expression in the interests of getting others to share her outlook or follow her whims. In short, it's getting others to do what she wants. Manipulation comes into play when a character tries to influence or subtly guide another's behavior. Manipulation is used to trick, bluff, fast-talk and railroad other characters. Whether or not the characters in question actually like the manipulator is irrelevant (this is why Manipulation differs from Charisma); a skilled motivator can even employ the talents of people who hate her. Manipulation is a dangerous affair, especially among the supernatualst, hough it is their coin of their realms. Failed attempts at manipulation often earn the ire of the would-be patsy. Botching a Manipulation roll may add a name to the character's list of enemies. Now, most people are manipulated every day in little ways by the people they have relationships with, and typically ignore it or don't mind. ("Would you run to the store for me?") If the fact is brought to their attention, however, most people get quite defensive. Characters with high Manipulation ratings are often distrusted by those around them if they aren't subtle. ● Poor: A person of few (often ineffectual) words. ●● Average: You can fool some of the people some of the time, just like anybody else. ●●● Good: You never pay full price. ●●●● Exceptional: You could be a politician or cult leader. ●●●●● Outstanding: Smooth as the devil himself. Specialties: Persuasive, "Damn I'm Smooth," Seductive, Well-Reasoned, Forked Tongue, Unswerving Logic, Doubletalk, Seduction, Cunning, Deceitful, Glib, Patient, Subtle, Underhanded 'Appearance' The Appearance Attribute is a measure of a character's attractiveness. More than simple looks, however, Appearance is the sum of a character's visible grace, beauty and the indefinable je ne sais quoi that makes people desirable. Appearance is both more and less than physique and style -- it appeals to the lower levels of the psyche, so it shapes first impressions and the nature of memories thereafter. No matter how open-mined a person is, no matter how vehemently he claims, "Her personality is more important than her looks," a person still thinks of another in relation to the subject's appearance. This Trait is used for more than getting potential lovers to heed your beckon across a crowded dance floor. In situations in which first impressions are paramount, or that involve people who view Appearance as very important, a character may have no more dice in a Social dice pool than her Appearance score. Thus, it is critically important to either look your best or get to know people before you start trying to convince them to give you the time of day. ● Poor: Ugly as a mud fence. ●● Average: You don't stand out in a crowd, for better or for worse. ●●● Good: Strangers offer to buy you drinks at bars. ●●●● Exceptional: You are appealing enough to be a model, and people often go out of their way to tell you so. ●●●●● Outstanding: People react to you with either insane jealousy or beatific awe. Specialties: Genial, Exotic, Alluring, Noble Bearing,'' 'Bold Demeanor, Fragility, Glamourous, Sex Appeal, Style'' Mental Mental Attributes define a character's cerebral capacities, including such aspects as memory, intelligence, awareness of one's surroundings and the ability to think, learn and react. '''Perception Perception measures a character's ability to observe his environment. This may involve a conscious effort, such as searching an area, but it is more often intuitive, as the character's keen senses notice something out of the ordinary. Perception is a sensitivity to the character's surroundings, and is seldom present in the cynical or jaded (who have seen it all before). Perception is used to determine whether or not a character understands a given situation or detects an environmental stimulus. It can warn a character of ambushes, help a character identify a metaphor, distinguish a clue from a pile of refuse or uncover any other hidden of overlookable detail, whether physical or otherwise. ● Poor: Perhaps you are absurdly self-absorbed, perhaps merely an airhead; in any event, even the most obvious details elude you. ●● Average: You are oblivious to the very subtle, but aware of the bigger picture. ●●● Good: You perceive moods, textures and minuscule changes in your environment. ●●●● Exceptional: Almost nothing evades your notice. ●●●●● Outstanding: You instantly observe things almost imperceptible to human senses. Specialties: Attentive, Insightful, Careful, Discerning, Experienced, Eyes in the Back of Your Head, Farsighted, Uncanny Instincts, Detail-Oriented, Intuitive, Empathic, Keen-Eyed, Paranoid, Sharp Hearing 'Intelligence' The Intelligence Attribute refers to a character's grasp of facts and knowledge. More importantly, however, it governs a character's ability to reason, solve problems and evaluate situations. Intelligence is almost a misnomer, as the Attribute also includes critical thinking and flexibility of thought. Intelligence does not include savvy, wisdom or common sense, as those are other properties of the character's personality, not Traits. Even the smartest character may be too foolish to keep her mouth shut or too daft to assume the thugs who want her car keys are up to no good. Characters with low Intelligence aren't necessarily stupid (though they might be), they are just uneducated or simple thinkers. Likewise, characters with high Intelligence aren't all Einsteins; they may be better at rote memorization or have particularly keen judgment. ● Poor: Not the sharpest knife in the drawer (IQ 80) ●● Average: Smart enough to realize you're normal (IQ 100) ●●● Good: More enlightened than the masses (IQ 120) ●●●● Exceptional: You're not just bright, you're downright brilliant (IQ 140) ●●●●● Outstanding: Certified genius (IQ 160+) Specialties: Book Knowledge, Creative, Analytical, Problem Solver, Subject Authority, Lateral Problem Solver, Creative Logic, Probability Calculation, Trivia, Discerning, Logical, Pragmatic, Scholarly 'Wits' The Wits Trait measures the character's ability to think on her feet and react quickly to a certain situation. It also reflects a character's general cleverness. Characters with low Wits scores are thick and mentally lethargic, or maybe gullible and unsophisticated. By contrast, characters with high Wits Traits almost always have a plan immediately and adapt to their surroundings with striking expedience. Characters with high Wits also manage to keep their cool in stressful situations. ● Poor: Pull my finger. ●● Average: You know when to bet or fold in poker. ●●● Good: You are seldom surprised or left speechless. ●●●● Exceptional: You're one of the people who make others think, "Ohh, I should have said..." the next day. ●●●●● Outstanding: You think and respond almost more quickly than you can act. Specialties: Getting the Jump on Others, Snappy Patter, Changes in Strategy, Ambushes, Snappy Retorts, Ambushes, Cool-Headed, Cunning, Clear-Headed, Clever, Insults, One Step Ahead, Survival Category:Rules Category:Creation